HARVARD LAW SCCHOOL is hiring a Clinical Fellow for its Tax Law Clinic. 

Job Summary

We invite applications to serve as a Clinical Fellow with the Tax Clinic at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. The Clinical Fellow will become an important member of the Tax Clinic team, will carry a docket of cases both individually and in collaboration with other attorneys, and will support the Clinic’s advocacy and community engagement. The Tax Clinic’s work combines individual client representation with impact litigation strategies and policy advocacy. The Clinical Fellow position represents a unique opportunity to join Harvard Law School’s clinical program, to work in a dynamic community-based legal services program, to advocate for low-income taxpayers in a variety of case types and practice settings, to develop lawyering skills and knowledge of low-income taxpayer advocacy, and to receive mentorship. The Clinical Fellow reports to the Clinic Director.

Job Specific Responsibilities

The Clinical Fellow will:

• Represent clients in controversies with the IRS and Massachusetts Department of Revenue at different stages of dispute, from audit to Tax Court and, potentially, to the federal district and circuit courts.
• Participate in community outreach and in training sessions led by the Clinic.
• Participate in systemic reform efforts, including litigating impact cases in the circuit courts; filing amicus briefs in federal courts; and writing comments on regulations and other policy pronouncements to provide a voice for low-income taxpayers.
• Generate and help move forward ideas for new Clinic projects.
• Participate in the Clinic’s collaborative learning environment.

Basic Qualifications

The Fellow should have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school with a J.D. degree in the last five years. The Fellow should be admitted to the Massachusetts bar, or be eligible for admission upon exam or waiver, or be eligible for temporary admission pursuant to Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04.

Additional Qualifications

We are looking for people who have:

• Prior experience advocating for community members of limited means
• Curiosity and creative problem-solving skills
• The ability to quickly pivot and adapt
• The ability to work independently and ask good questions
• The ability to prioritize work, especially given competing priorities
• The ability to exercise discretion and comply with confidentiality requirements
• The ability to exercise sound and effective judgment in complex decision making
• Strong research, writing, and editing skills
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills
• Enthusiasm for being part of a program that teaches and mentors law students and helps people from diverse backgrounds with urgent legal needs
• The ability to interact with clients, community members, colleagues, and others in a culturally competent way
• A commitment to diversity and an inclusive working and learning environment

Additional Information

The candidate need not have a significant tax background, as the Clinic will train and mentor the Fellow in developing the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively represent low-income taxpayers; however, prior experience in tax or an expressed an interest in tax are positive factors, as would be an LLM in Taxation.

The position has an anticipated start date of spring semester 2023. We will review applications and conduct interviews on a rolling basis during fall semester 2022. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

This is a full-time fellowship (35 hours per week), eligible for Harvard benefits.

This is an initial two-year term appointment with potential for renewal, subject to departmental funding and need.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Instructions

To apply, please submit a letter of interest, a resume/CV, a writing sample, and a list of three or more references. Applications must be submitted via e-mail to LSCfacultyassistant@law.harvard.edu. Please put “Tax Clinic Fellowship Application” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

About The WilmerHale Legal Services Center

Founded in 1979 by the trailblazing clinicians Gary Bellow and Jeanne Charn, the WilmerHale Legal Services Center (LSC) of Harvard Law School is located at the crossroads of Jamaica Plain and Roxbury in the City of Boston. LSC’s longstanding dual mission is to pursue justice for community members of limited means while educating Harvard Law Students for practice and professional service. Through six clinics—Consumer Protection, Family Law/Domestic Violence, Low-Income

Taxpayer, Housing, LGBTQ+ Advocacy, and Veterans Law and Disability Benefits—and numerous projects and pro bono initiatives, LSC advocates and student attorneys provide essential legal services to community members from nearby neighborhoods in Boston, to residents of Greater Boston and Massachusetts, and in some instances, where cases present unique law reform opportunities, to clients from across the country.

Across its many practice areas, LSC works to improve the lives of individual clients, to seek systemic change for the communities it serves, and to provide clinical law students with a singular opportunity to develop fundamental lawyering skills within an immersive and community-based, legal services practice setting. LSC’s clinics use a variety of advocacy tools—including high-volume civil legal services, cutting-edge litigation and policy advocacy, and innovative outreach and community legal education strategies. Central to LSC’s model of legal advocacy and clinical education is an understanding that legal crises do not arise in isolation, that many clients face multiple and intersecting legal and non-legal needs, and that a holistic approach to lawyering best serves client and community interests. LSC actively partners with a diverse array of community groups, prioritizes cooperation and inter-disciplinary work, including through two medical-legal partnerships, and regularly adapts its practice areas to meet the changing legal needs of client communities. To learn more about LSC and its individual clinics, projects, and initiatives, please visit here.